Colgate Raiders
Patriot
Picked to finish third in the Patriot League, the Raiders did better than that by winning the league crown for the eighth time. The season, however, didn’t start out that way as Colgate went 0-3 and was outscored 103-46. But those losses came against Navy, New Hampshire and Yale. Still, for a playoff team, the Raiders have been outscored 295-264 on the season.
2015 Record: 7-4, 6-0
Coach: Dan Hunt
Big Wins: 10/31 Fordham (31-29), 11/14 Lehigh (49-42)
Bad Losses: 9/19 Yale (28-29), 10/10 at Princeton (20-44)
Strengths:
Junior quarterback Jake Melville leads Colgate in rushing yards and passing yards. Melville is particularly efficient as he’s thrown only one interception. It is a well-balanced team that doesn’t make mistakes. The Raiders have three receivers with more than 30 receptions and 400 yards receiving, and they lead the conference in rushing yards with an average above 200 yards a game. For possibly the first time in school history, Colgate has three players with at least 1,000 yards rushing: Demetrius Russell, Melville and John Wilkins. Sophomore linebacker Pat Afriyie leads the team with 10.5 sacks.
Weaknesses:
Statistically, Colgate doesn’t have a strong pass defense as it ranks in the bottom third nationally in that category. Overall, the Raiders are in the bottom half in total defense yielding nearly 400 yards a game. They also allow more than 28 points a game to rank in the bottom half nationally in scoring defense. In addition, the Raiders red zone offense and defense is less than stellar. Their red zone offense ranks 94th, while the red zone defense is 105th.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Jake Melville, QB, 771 yards
Passing: Jake Melville, QB, 2,102 yards
Receiving: John Maddaluna, WR, 764 yards
Tackles: Kyle Diener, LB, 99
Sacks: Pat Afriyie, LB, 10.5
Interceptions: Ty MCollum, DB, 3
2015 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 203.7 (24th in nation, 1st in conference)
Passing Offense: 193.9 (71, 7)
Total Offense: 397.6 (51, 4)
Scoring Offense: 25.0 (69, 4)
Rushing Defense: 154.2 (49, 3)
Pass Defense: 234.5 (92, 4)
Total Defense: 388.7 (67, 3)
Scoring Defense: 28.5 (76, 4)
Turnover Margin: 0.30 (38, 3)
Sacks: 2.90 (11, 2)
Sacks Allowed: 0.70 (4, 1)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
2012 First Round Lost to Wagner
2008 First Round Lost to Villanova
2005 First Round Lost to New Hampshire
2003 First Round Defeated Massachusetts
2003 Quarterfinals Defeated Western Illinois
2003 Semifinals Defeated Florida Atlantic
2003 Championship Lost to Delaware
1999 First Round Lost to Illinois State
1998 First Round Lost to Georgia Southern
1997 First Round Lost to Villanova
1983 First Round Lost to Western Carolina
1982 First Round Defeated Boston University
1982 Quarterfinals Lost to Delaware
*all team stats through 11/14
